Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 62

Margravine Cladnier’s summons quickly gathered the butler, chief steward, head maid, and maids in the living room, their faces tense and anxious.

“The household is in utter disarray,” Margravine Cladnier said, her voice as cold as ice, echoing through the room.

“I won’t be intervening like this after today. I don’t want to leave such a chaotic household to the future Margrave, so I believe a bit of order is necessary,” she continued.

“But madam…”

With the exception of the head maid, who had a sullen expression, the butler, chief steward, and maids all had distressed faces and began to express their concerns.

“What exactly are the charges against Mrs. Edil? She is screaming that she’s innocent from the reflection room,” one of the maids said.

“And you all heard her, it seems. So, you share the same opinion?”

The lower Margravine Cladnier’s voice dropped, the more the staff tensed up.

“So, did the young lady come first, or did we fall out of favor with His Majesty, causing her to come here? Do you not have the sense to figure out the order of things?”

Those standing in the living room exchanged glances, trying to grasp the meaning behind the Margravine’s words.

“We fell out of favor with His Majesty first. Because of that, the Cladnier family was already in danger, regardless of the young lady.”

A few took sharp breaths. Hearing it directly from the Margravine’s mouth was different from vague suspicions.

“Did it not occur to you that the anger and hostility towards His Majesty’s tyranny transformed into sympathy for the young lady? Do you think it’s right to mistreat the young lady who became part of the Cladnier family? Do you believe it’s acceptable for rumors that the Cladnier family lacks compassion to spread outside these walls?”

“Madam, we…”

The butler hastily raised his hand and tried to speak, but Margravine Cladnier raised her hand to stop him.

“Let me reiterate. Our family is already in danger. Those who wish to flee will not be stopped, but those who remain and continue to spread unease will be punished.”

After disciplining Edil and another maid, Eirik also summoned all seventy knights to the dining hall.

“As you’ve already witnessed the commotion earlier, I’ll explain the situation once more,” Eirik began. “One of the Margravine’s maids was punished for gossiping without remorse while under probation. The other was punished for doubting the judgment of both the Margravine and myself. The severity of their punishments reflects their offenses.”

The knights exchanged glances.

“If there’s any unease spreading within the ranks, speak now, and I’ll provide explanations as best as I can,” Eirik offered.

The dining hall fell silent. After a moment, one knight raised his hand.

“It seems like the forces are being dispersed. Is that correct?”

Eirik took note of the perceptive knight’s face and nodded. “The specifics of locations, sizes, and reasons aren’t to be disclosed yet, but within a few months, everyone will know.”

“Well, as long as there’s a plan…”

Several knights visibly relaxed, adjusting their postures.

“As long as you have a plan. What about our training? Do we continue as we have been?”

During Emmerich’s leadership, there had been many complaints, so currently, training was being done on a voluntary basis.

“I don’t believe anyone here requires oversight or instruction. However, if you wish, I can bring back former Commander Kelbanig,” Eirik said.

“Oh no, please don’t. He insists too much on old-fashioned methods.”

“The old man should be retired by now.”

As the atmosphere momentarily lightened, Eirik raised his voice to maintain order.

“However, I will set aside two days a week to personally review each individual’s progress. And from now on, we will have joint training sessions every Wednesday and Friday.”

This was enough to maintain the knights’ tension and focus. Eirik looked them over once more before asking, “Any other issues?”

“Not particularly…”

While some knights had initially resented Eirik spending time in the mansion’s chambers, they had stopped complaining once they saw him stationed in the command office and frequently summoning various people. It made sense, given the Margrave’s severe illness and Eirik’s role in handling family affairs.

“Dismissed.”

The sound of chairs scraping against the floor filled the room as the knights began to leave. Lost in thought, Eirik felt a tap on his shoulder.

“What is it?”

“Well, have you… heard?”

It was his cousin Emmerich, fidgeting as he spoke. Eirik frowned and waved him off. The remaining knights glanced over but didn’t stop. The commander always avoided him, and Emmerich was always up to his usual antics.

“I’ll meet you in the office,” Emmerich whispered, making Eirik grimace as he tried to get away.

“I won’t be there.”

“Come on, please?”

“Annoying brat.”

Eirik clicked his tongue and headed to the office.

“Get to the point quickly,” Eirik demanded.

Emmerich, clearly agitated, responded, “You heard everything from Gella, right? It was a complete misunderstanding, just my careless slip of the tongue. I still don’t know who that patient is.”

“When I send your head to the Sidate Principality, I’ll make sure to cut off your mouth and send it separately to the royal palace.”

“No, listen. The situation was—”

Eirik frowned and pushed Emmerich away as he tried to explain himself. “Stop. Don’t even think about using that as an excuse to let those words out of your mouth again.”

“Okay, but you know it wasn’t what you think, right? Should I formally apologize to you right here?”

“If this is why you called me, you won’t like the outcome.”

Emmerich shrugged and leaned against the desk instead of sitting on it. He had learned his lesson after Eirik had twisted his arm the last time he sat on the desk.

“The vassals are buzzing. Do you know?”

“Surprisingly, the knights were less agitated than I expected. Anyway, to address the vassals, I need to sort things out with my father first.”

“Yeah. By the way, there have already been three secret meetings among the vassals. I was required to attend all of them.”

“It’s absurd. I might as well give them what they want…”

Eirik closed his eyes for a moment.

Passing the Cladnier family to Emmerich and disappearing somewhere.

Ironically, he imagined living with Miesa in a secluded log cabin in the mountains, even though he didn’t fully trust her anymore.

“Just try it. I’ll ruin a 350-year-old family within a month.” Emmerich’s urgent voice brought him back to reality. Eirik shook his head and refocused.

“So, what exactly are they dissatisfied about?”

“Well, as you probably guessed.”

“If you know, tell me one by one.”

Eirik pulled up a chair and sat down. He gestured for Emmerich to take a seat as well.

After a long conversation with Emmerich, Eirik noticed blood on his sleeves and shoes, causing him to frown. He then headed back to the mansion to discuss matters with his mother.

After briefly sharing the situation, he took a rare opportunity to bathe in the third-floor bathroom of the mansion. Habitually, he began to head toward his bedroom but stopped when he met the gaze of Vallek, a knight stationed in the hallway.

“You’re back, my lord,” Vallek greeted.

“Yes. There was a meeting with the knights today. Be sure to get the details from Cullen during tomorrow’s shift change.”

Eirik then knocked on the bedroom door and waited a moment. It was already dinner time.

“I’m coming!” Gella exclaimed as she rushed to open the door, her eyes welling up when she saw him.

“Young master, you’re here just in time.”